query by form (DB) (QBF)

Query by Form (QBF) is a query technique for databases using data masks. The data masks are displayed on the screen and the searched information is entered in the corresponding fields in the data mask.

Since the data mask is defined by the query program, entries can only be made in the existing data fields. New data fields cannot be added. In addition, only the data records that are linked to the current file can be searched.

Query by Forms (QBF) query using the example of a telephone query

The QBF query technique is used in address and telephone directories, travel information, flight schedules and train schedules, among others. More flexible in terms of adding query fields and linkingqueries is Query by Example( QBE), which works with given examples.